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Celebrities with Dyslexia

Dyslexia – an Introduction

Dyslexia is a chronic difficulty with reading. It can be defined as a common learning problem that affects a large percentage of people identified as “learning disabled.” Today, about 15% of the U.S. population is affected by this learning difficulty, according to the National Institutes of Health. People having dyslexia may face trouble with reading,spelling, math, writing and sometimes, music.

Often people think that dyslexia is a condition, which involves reading from right to left and reversing words and letters. Although, in some people this might be the case, these are not the most common characteristics of dyslexia. Medically, dyslexia has little to do with recognizing the visual form of words. Instead, the brains of people with dyslexia are wired differently making it difficult to break the letters of written words into the distinct sounds of their language – an ability called phonological awareness.

Dyslexia can happen at any level of intellectual ability. At times, children with dyslexia make their teachers and parents feel like they lack motivation or not trying hard enough.

Since, anybody can have dyslexia; it might not surprise you that many celebrities do have this reading difficulty. Have a look at these famous people who face problems while reading, writing or playing with words.

1. Jennifer Aniston

America’s best TV series Friends star Jennifer has dyslexia. Aniston herself didn’t know this until she was in her 20s. She says discovering out explained her why it was so difficult to read and learn in school and why she opted the role of class clown over teacher’s pet. She says, “The diagnosis answered a lot of questions. I felt like all my childhood trauma-dies, tragedies, dramas, were explained,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

2. Whoopi Goldberg

DO you remember this outspoken co-host of The View? It might shock you that she wasn’t the same if you’d met her as a kid. Named as Caryn, all the class bullies called her “stupid.” Today’s multi-talented Goldberg didn’t even identified she had dyslexia until she was dropped out of school. Since then, she’s earned tons of honors that include one of the rarest combinations of all: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.

3. Steven Spielberg

This movie tycoon has had his own encounter with dyslexia. Moreover, he didn’t recognize the problem until he was 60. Terrorized as a child, he struggled through school and dropped out of college in 1968. After that, the legendary filmmaker has fought back using the big screen. A cult classic, The Goonies, he co-wrote and produced clearly reflects his teen years as a self-proclaimed “nerd” and “outsider.”

4. Mohammed Ali

Now, who doesn’t know the legendary heavyweight boxing champ Mohd. Ali??? He may have been able to “float like a butterfly” and “sting like a bee,” however he could hardly read. Dyslexia was Ali’s first bouts. While he often boasted of being “the greatest” in the fight area, his wife says he refuted this punch line: “I never said I was the smartest.”

5. Keira Knightlay

Dyslexia acted as both the carrot and the stick for this British-born Academy Award contender. Getting good grades got her time on stage, so she was eager to please. But, behind the scenes, some classmates were just as eager to tease. “It’s amazing what a child calling you stupid would do to make you read pretty quickly,” Knightley memorizes. She says dyslexia has made her the actress she is today.

Tough to Diagnose Dyslexia

Dyslexia is the most common learning disorder since years. It was not largely understood even so until the late 20th century. And still it can be hard for doctors to diagnose it. However, there are evidence-based treatments that are effective, for adults even with the condition. Other than the above specified personalities, many other famous people have had dyslexia, including Leonardo da Vinci, Saint Teresa, Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison.